LUMBERTON - A Lumberton woman says she was attacked by man in a clown mask early Tuesday morning outside her home.

The woman, Kelli, who asked to be identified by her first name only, tells 12News that the attack happened on Raider Lane in Lumberton.

Lumberton Police Chief Danny Sullins tells 12News that his officers responded to the woman's home at about 1 a.m. Tuesday and filed a report.

Sullins said the 39 year-old woman received minor injuries after she reported she was attacked by a man in a mask.

12News contacted Hardin County Sheriff Ed Cain who said his office had received reports of clowns in the county but his deputies had not found any and had no reports of clown attacks.

This Lumberton woman says she is scared and, fearing for her safety is asking us to only identify her as Kelli.

She says she was outside of her apartment last night after midnight when she saw a tall man, in black clothes and a clown mask standing down the street at least 50 feet away.

"I immediately turned to run and he caught up with me, he grabbed the back of my head and grabbed my hair and slung me down to the ground," Kelli said.

She says she was dragged through gravel outside her home causing these injuries, including ligament damage in her elbow.

She filed a police report before going to the hospital, where she says she was still in shock.

"It could've been so much worse, I have no idea who it was, I don't know if it was someone running around playing jokes and this one went too far," Kelli said.

She took to Facebook where she posted to let her family and friends know what happened. Ironically enough, when we were looking through her posts, it was just two hours before the attack that she was taunting in another post.

She called the post a freak coincidence, saying it was never intended to taunt and hopes others take it as a warning sign.

"I just think people need to be safe and keep an eye out for their children and when they go outside at dark they need to watch their surroundings," Kelli said.

She now has firsthand claims that clown threats are no laughing matter.